Trunk rack



A ril w, 1932.

J HUGHES TRUNK RACK Filed Jan. 14, 1929 IN V EN TOR.

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ATTORZEY Patented Apr. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE JAMES R.HUGHES, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ASSIG-NOR TO THE STUDEBAKER COR-PORATION, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY TRUNK BACKApplication filed January 14, 1929.

This inventionrelates to a trunk rack or luggage carrier, andparticularly to a trunk rack having a ointed trunk supporting membercomprising two sections adapted to be folded when not in use andunfolded and extended to a horizontal position to support a trunk orpackage thereon.

The principal object of the invention is to provide brackets secured tothe vehicle frame side members on which is pivotally mounted a jointedtrunk supporting member, spring means being provided for maintaining thejointed member in folded position or securing it in extended position.

A further object is to provide slots in the supporting members adaptedto slidably re ceive studs secured to one section of the jointed memberwhereby the jointed member is guided to folded and unfolded positions,spring means also being provided for maintaining the jointed member inthe respective positions.

The above being among the objects of the present invention, otherobjects will appear which will relate to certain novel features ofconstruction and combination of parts to be hereinafter described withreference to the accompanying drawings, and then claimed.

In the accompanying drawings which show a suitable embodiment of thepresent invention and in which like numerals refer to like partsthroughout the several different views,

Figure I is a sectional view showing the jointed supporting member inpartially folded position, and also in dotted lines, showing the same infolded position, the same being taken on the same section line as FigureII.

Figure II is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure IV, showingthe jointed member in extended position.

Figure III is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 of FigureII.

Figure IV is a top plan view showing the jointed member in extended ortrunk receiving position.

Referring to the drawings, the side frame members are each provided atone end thereof with a spring or shackle receiving member 11 which isformed with a fiat face Serial N 0. 332,478.

12 adapted to receive and support the downwardly extending arms 13 ofsupporting brackets 14. The brackets 14 are supported on the frame sidemembers 10 forwardly of the rear ends thereof by means of the bolts 15,and the arms 13 are secured to the flat faces 12 of the spring receivingmembers 11 by the bolts 16.

As the brackets 14 which are secured to the frame members 10 areidentical, special reference will be made to only one of the same, andreferring particularly to Figure 1, the bracket 14 is provided with alongitudinally extending slot 17 which extends substantially the fulllength thereof. The slot 17 is curved downwardly at its rear end at 17for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The trunk or baggage supporting member 18 is formed of two sections 18aand 18b united by the pivots 19 so that the sections 18a and 18?) can befolded to the position as shown in dotted lines in Figure I or extendedto the operative position shown in Figure II. The member 18a is pivotedat 20 to the bracket 14 adjacent the rear end thereof and adjacent tothe curved portion 17 of the slot 17 A stud 21 secured to the free endof the member 186 by means of the nut 22 is adapted to slide in theslot17 for guiding the sections 18a and 18b to the folded and unfoldedpositions. A spring 23 riveted or otherwise secured at 24 to the bracket14 coacts with the stud 21 for'retaining the member 18 in extendedposition as is clearly shown in Figure II. A similar spring 25 rivetedor otherwise secured at 26 to the bracket 14, engages with the stud 21when the sections 18a and 18?) have been folded and the stud 21 has beenmoved into the curved portion 17 of the slot 17 I am aware that trunkracks adapted to be folded when not in use have been heretofore used,but so far as I am aware no one has provided means for automaticallyretaining this member in folded and unfolded position when the rack hasbeen moved to that desired position. Instead, manually operatedfastening means such as a screw and thumb nut has been used which had tobe unloosened before the trunk supporting member could be moved toeither folded or unfolded positions.

In the present invention the sections 18a and 18?) can be extended tothe position shown in Figure II and retained in that position by thespring 23 which coacts with the stud 21 to prevent movement of the trunkrack until a pulling force is applied thereto. \Vhen it is desired tofold the sections 18a and 186, the spring 28 will disengage with thestud 21 and these members can be'moved to the position shown in dottedlines in Figure I in which folded position the trunk rack' will be heldagainst movement by means of the spring 25. Conversely when it isdesired to extend the sections 18a and 18b to operative position, thespring 25 will be caused to disengage with the stud 21 and the sectionscan be extended as shown in Figure II.

In the specification and claims I have referred to my invention as atrunk rack, however it is to be understood that the invention is not tobe so limited as the carrier can be used for any suitable purpose, asfor example,

a carrier for suit cases, packages, boxes, luggage and the like.

'It will be understood that the invention is susceptible of variouschanges and modifications all coming within the scope and spirit of theinvention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A trunk rack comprising, a supporting member secured to a vehicleside frame member, a jointed folding member pivoted to said supportingmember adjacent one end thereof, spring means acting between saidjointed folding member and said support for holding said jointed foldingmember in folded position, and spring means acting between said jointedfolding member and said support for retaining said ointed folding memberin extended position.

2. A trunk rack comprising, a supporting member secured at one end tothe end of a vehicle frame side member and at the opposite end to theside member forwardingly of its end, a ointed folding member pivoted tosaid supporting member adjacent one end thereof, spring means actingbetween said jointed folding member and said support for holding saidjointed folding member in an inclined folded position, and spring meansacting between said ointed folding member and said support for retainingsaid jointed folding member in a flat horizontal position.

3. A trunk rack comprising, a slotted supporting member secured to avehicle frame side member, a jointed folding member pivoted to saidsupporting member adjacent one end thereof, a stud secured to the freeend of said jointed member and adapted to be guided in said slot, springmeans engaging said stud for holding said jointed folding member infolded position, and spring means engaging said stud for retaining saidjointed folding member in unfolded position.

4. A trunk rack comprising, a supporting member having a horizontalportion secured to a vehicle frame side member and a vertical portionsecured to the end of said frame member, said supporting member having aslot therein extending substantially the length of the horizontalportion and terminating in a downwardly extending end, a jointed foldingmember having one side thereof pivoted to said supporting memberadjacent the downwardly extending end of said slot, a stud secured tothe free side of said ointed folding member and adapted to be guided insaid slot, a spring secured to said supporting member to engage saidstud when the same is moved into the downwardly extending end of saidslot for holding said jointed folding member in a folded position, and aspring secured to said supporting member to engage said stud when thesame is moved to the forward position in said slot for retaining saidjointed folding member in extended position.

5. A trunk rack comprising, a supporting member having a horizontallyextending por tion and a vertical portion, each portion being secured toa vehicle frame side member, a jointed folding member having one sidethereof pivoted to the horizontally extending portion of said supportingmember, means attached to the free end of said jointed folding memberslidable on said supporting. member, means engaging said first means forholding said ointed folding member in folded position, and meansengaging said first means for retaining said jointed folding member inextended position.

Signed by me at South Bend, Indiana, this 11th day of January, 1929. I

JAMES R. HUGHES.

